Far From Real
by watagashi
Summary: Something's hunting Sarah--and only Jareth can help her. But what if Jareth couldn't hear her call for help?Complete
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: Yeah.yeah.I own nothing. Now LEAVE ME ALONE! It's not my fault I ate too much cheese. (Please read. I'll be good)  
  
Author: Go AWAY Disclaimer! No one loves you. (Bright grin) Now, for any of you who have read my previous work, this won't be nearly as funny. But that doesn't stop you from reading it, right? (whimper) Right? Let me know if I should just stick to humor.  
  
"Sarah."  
  
Sarah shifted, her eyelashes fluttering, as the voice came to her again.  
  
"Sarah"  
  
"Who's there?" she asked the darkness. "Who's that?" The voice sounded distant, yet, familiar.some how. It was as though she had heard it before.  
  
"Sarah."  
  
"What do you want?" she asked the night. A cold ripple of fear ran through her. She felt as though she knew the voice, as though the voice had taken something from her. She was afraid.yet longing for the speaker to reveal himself.  
  
"Sarah."  
  
She opened her eyes that saw only the dream-world, only the vast expanse of her imagination. They showed her only blackness.  
  
"I'm coming for you, Sarah."  
  
She felt her chest tighten as her heart beat faster. Her lungs expanded and contracted as her breath came in quick gasps of fear. "Who are you?!" she demanded, her voice heightening with panic. "What do you want?!"  
  
"I'm hunting you, Sarah."  
  
"Go away!" She closed her eyes tight, but it was foolishness exchanging one darkness for another under the sad principle: if I can't see you, you can't see me. Again, she cried out. "Get out of here! Go away!"  
  
"You can't escape me, Sarah."  
  
"Get away from me!"  
  
"I'm coming now."  
  
"No! NOOOOOOO!"  
  
"Sarah!"  
  
"Jareth! Jareth! JAAAAAAREEEEEEEEEETHHH!!!!!"  
  
* * * * *  
  
"Sarah! Wake up!" Sarah moaned and thrashed as her roommate shook her awake. She blinked around the sun and untangled herself from the sheets as he looked down at her worriedly.  
  
"Are you okay?" he asked. Sarah had been Jason's roommate for only three months, and a simple rule had been learned: no door stays locked, because if you need something, Jason's coming in. Sarah distinctly remembered locking the door to her room every night. But every time she had a nightmare, he would be there to wake her up. He explained to her once that he had learned to pick locks.  
  
"I'm fine, Jason," she said after a moment. "Just another nightmare, that's all."  
  
Jason sat down next to her on the bed. "Sarah, you've been having the same nightmare every other night for the past five weeks," he said. "Are you sure there isn't something wrong?"  
  
"How do you know I've been having the same nightmare?" she asked. Strangely, he didn't seem to know how to answer. His dark eyes widened and his jaw went slack. He recovered quickly, however, and gazed off to the far wall.  
  
"You've been waking up the same way," he said softly.  
  
Sarah was surprised at his brief inability to answer her. Jason had met Sarah in psychology class, when she had gone to congratulate him on his excellent presentation. Jason specialized in dream analysis and emotional interpretation. Sarah had always thought of him as a fanciful sort of person, and had been all too thrilled when they ended up in the same creative writing class as well as psychology. Jason's writing was much like Sarah's fanciful, dream-like, and full of mystery. It was only natural that they rent a house together.  
  
Jason turned to look at her. "Always, you wake up screaming for Jareth. Does this Jareth mean something significant to you?"  
  
Sarah blinked. "No," she said.  
  
Jason smiled a little at her bluntness. "Alright, then," he said.  
  
His tone made her remember something from not so long ago, in a different voice. "Alright, then! I can conquer this mountain!" The tone and attitude were the same. Sarah envisioned the moment in her memory.  
  
Sir Dydimous had hopped up onto Ludo's back, leaving the gentle giant quite perplexed. "Alright, then!" Dydimous exclaimed. "I can conquer this mountain!" And with that, he savagely (though not very effectively) began beating Ludo across his thick skull.  
  
Sarah smiled. The conflict hadn't lasted long! She turned to see that Jason had left her side. She heard his footsteps descending the stairs. She grinned and stood up. Something fell from her lap.  
  
It was a feather. A white and downy feather. Probably from an owl. Sarah stopped. A white owl.  
  
The white owl of Jareth.  
  
Of course she had lied when she said Jareth meant nothing to her. She knew who Jareth was, remembered everything about him. His voice, his face, his hair, all of him vivid in her memory. Though it had been so long ago.  
  
And the fact that Jareth could transform into a white owl.  
  
She took it as a coincidence. She had heard nothing from Jareth for quite some time, and assumed that he had completely gone out of her life. She put the feather down on her bureau and picked up a comb to tame the many tangles in her hair.  
  
After the first stroke, however, something dislodged itself from her long brown tresses. Sarah bent down and picked it up. It was also a downy feather, though it was raven black. She put it down next to her white feather and frowned. She picked up both of the feathers and held them over each other.  
  
They were the same feather. Same size, same shape, probably from the same owl. The only difference was that one was white, and one was black. She shook her head at the marvel of coincidence. She put the feathers down and proceeded to brush her hair. There were no more feathers.  
  
But Sarah thought of them now as a sign.  
  
And she longed to visit the Labyrinth again.  
  
Author: Well, here you are, and I would like very much to know what you think, as I don't have much of a life other than pleasing readers. Review to let me know whether or not I should continue. 


	2. Encounter with a stranger

Disclaimer: Hello, again. I still don't own anything. Curses! (twitch)  
  
Author: Thank you all for your wonderful encouragement, and since you were so interested, here is chapter 2!  
  
"And so, it is very crucial to pay attention to every detail of a person's dream when studying the psychological affects of the unreal," the professor explained. "Even the smallest of details may lead to the source of the patient's distress."  
  
Sarah let her head drop onto her waiting hand. She found the lecture interesting, of course, but it was so hard to stay upright for so long. She looked over at Jason, who was a few seats away. He winked at her, then turned attentively back to the lecture. Sarah sighed. How can he stay so awake?  
  
"Jason? Would you care to share your analysis?" the professor asked. Jason drew his notebook closer and read aloud his theories. Sarah noticed that he kept glancing pointedly at her. He discussed how one may often dreams may involve certain names or symbols that may be link's to the patient's past. It didn't take Sarah long to realize that he was referring to her own nightmares.  
  
"Sometimes, the patient may be drawn to a single word or a single image, one that is repeated in each reoccurring dream. This words and images may symbolize a present situation, or refer to an object of the past." With this, he concluded his analysis, and the professor praised his depth and detailed observations. Then the lecture continued, and Sarah fell into a stupor that involved no thinking, only writing down abbreviated phrases from the professor's mouth.  
  
Sarah walked out into the night. The stars shone faintly above the glow of the city lights. She stood on the edge of a pool of light cast by the lone street lamp. The faint and ghostly milky way snaked across the sky above her. How many times had she gazed up at the stars, caught in the wonder of the night sky?  
  
"How do the stars look over there?" she asked aloud. "How many people over beyond will look up at the sky and wonder?"  
  
She was thinking of the Labyrinth, and all of the creatures within it. But most of all, she thought of Jareth, the goblin king. "Do you ever look up at the night sky?" she asked the silence. "Where are you, Jareth, my white owl?"  
  
"Sarah."  
  
Sarah whirled around. On the opposite side of the street lamp's light stood a figure wreathed in shadow. It was tall, and the voice had been masculine. The figure exhaled, and a wisp of white smoke escaped his lips. Again, he spoke.  
  
"Sarah."  
  
"Who are you?" Sarah asked. The figure did not move as she took a step into the light. He did not speak right away, and when he did, it was not to answer her question.  
  
"Do you wonder about him?" the figure demanded. "Do you still remember the great king you defeated, nay, humiliated those years ago?"  
  
Sarah gasped. "Jare-" she started, but the words caught in her throat. The figure scoffed at her inability to answer.  
  
"Jareth, the great goblin king. Ruler of the Labyrinth, stealer of children, commander of dreams. You ruined him! Do you know where he is now, Sarah? Do you? He has thought of you every day since you left him defeated, and you cannot summon his name to your lips! How dare you live your life unhaunted by his memory, to know him only in your dreams?!"  
  
Hot tears welled in Sarah's eyes. "I have not forgotten!" she yelled at the figure of shadows. "I think of him each day, and have not forgotten the slightest detail of our encounter! What concern is it of yours how I choose to live my life?"  
  
"He offered you a new life!" the figure fumed. "He offered you his very soul! The power to grant your very dreams! How dare you turn his memory aside, cast him away like yesterday's nightmare? Where is he now? Do you know, Sarah? Where is he now?!"  
  
Fires of rage burned in Sarah's eyes. She charged forward, across the circle of light. But when she reached where the figure had been, he was gone, his unanswered question echoing in her mind.  
  
* * * * *  
  
When Sarah got home, she went straight up to her room. She didn't pause to close the door as she collapsed onto her bed. "Where are you, Jareth?!" she screamed into her pillow. "Why are you tormenting me now?!"  
  
She let herself calm down before standing and locking the door.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Jason came home late that night. He saw that Sarah's door was locked, and he knew that she was home and most likely sleeping. He smiled a little, and went into his own room. He opened his drawer and took out a clear crystal sphere, roughly the size of his fist. Gazing into it, he smiled at distant memories that seemed barely a part of him.  
  
Sarah began to roll around in her sleep, her hair wrapping around her neck and shoulders. She was lost once again in the dark world of her nightmares. Jason heard her murmuring, and put the crystal globe away.  
  
Jason crossed the hall to Sarah's room and knelt by the door. He could hear her groaning, and could catch fragments of sentences, so out of context that he could not make sense of them. Then she cried out, and Jason felt his heart thrashing against the bars of his rib cage.  
  
"Jareth! Jareth, help me!" Sarah screamed.  
  
Jason's eyes widened. He took a small lock pick from his pocket and feverishly undid the tumblers, trying to remain calm. All of his thoughts were bent on one task: get to Sarah.  
  
The door opened, and Jason tumbled inside. "Sarah! Sarah, wake up!" he cried. Her screams were tormenting. "Sarah, please wake up!" he cried.  
  
Sarah sighed and opened her eyes. "Jason," she said with relief. "I'm sorry I woke you."  
  
"Forget it," he said with a smile. "I wasn't asleep. I only came home an hour ago."  
  
Sarah sat up, and Jason sat down next to her with a tired sigh. "Had another nightmare," Sarah explained. "For all of my studying of psychology, I just can't fathom what they could mean." She turned to look him in the eye. "Sometimes I wonder if I'm not just going crazy."  
  
Jason smiled tiredly at her. "I don't think you're going crazy," he told her. "Sometimes, we get nightmares, and there's nothing we can do to stop that. No one.can control your dreams."  
  
Sarah gazed at the far wall. She went over his words for a while before answering. "Jareth can," she said, confidence in her voice.  
  
She turned to look at Jason, and realized that he was asleep, his back against the wall and his head to one side, snoring softly. Sarah smiled at him. He had been getting little sleep between his work and her nightmares. She draped her blanket over him, then went down to eat some breakfast. She left the door open.  
  
* * * * *  
  
When Jason awoke, the sun was shining through the gauzy curtains, giving the room a soft glow. He blushed in embarrassment for having fallen asleep, and quickly got up to go back to his own room. As he stood, he saw something fall to the floor.  
  
It was a black owl's feather. His eyes widened, and he threw the feather away. But of course, feathers do not have much in the way of aerodynamics, and it did not go very far before drifting down serenely to land at Jason's feet. He glared at it in disgust and stepped over it, exiting the room and closing the door behind him.  
  
Author: Well, that's chapter 2. I hope you liked as much as chapter 1! But now I have to wait for some reviews to come, and chapter 3 is on the way. Until then, Ja Ne! ( 


	3. Into the Labyrinth

Disclaimer: Hello! Tank you all soooo much for reviewing my po' widdle fic. I still don't own anything, but I got the fifth Harry Potter book, and that makes me feel special anyway! So, here is the latest chapter and I hope you like it as much as the first two.  
  
Author: Ditto, and Kudos to StarMoon. Thank you all for your reviews, and now, to continue the story! Yay! (does a little dance of glee)  
  
Sarah was looking from one melon to the other. She picked them both up and studied them. She put one down, and picked up a third one. She picked up the original one again, then switched hands, feeling the weight. Then she put both of them down. "Yep, those are melons all right," she said in an affirming voice.  
  
Doxie Lee rolled her eyes. "Oh, Sarah, we're grocery shopping for Chissakes!"  
  
Doxie Lee Repenhagen was a spritely girl who sat next to Sarah in creative writing classes. She had recently gotten her own place, and was near constantly asking Sarah for advice and help managing the rent and juggling her schooling time and her part-time job around her unbelievably active night life. Doxie Lee and her sister, Kitty Bree were both quite popular with the students on campus-even if the professors did not approve.  
  
Sarah didn't care for Doxie Lee overly much. Whenever Sarah attempted something dreamlike or fanciful in her writing, Doxie Lee would be her first and harshest critic. Doxie Lee would hear nothing of fairies or elves or goblins or any of the fairy tales Sarah enjoyed. But Sarah was not one to turn down the needy, so she helped Doxie Lee with her groceries.  
  
"Besides, I don't need any fruit," Doxie Lee said, taking out her list. "I need.some chips and dip and ice cream and frozen pizza and soda and beer-"  
  
"Beer?" Sarah repeated doubtfully.  
  
"Of course," Doxie Lee said. "It's not a party without a brewski! I'll handle that, why don't you pick up the frozen stuff?"  
  
Sarah shrugged and walked off to the frozen food aisle. All of the food for those willing to just stick it in the microwave and go was in the front of the aisle. Sarah went to the back of the aisle and looked at the rows of ice cream cartons of all brands and flavors. She thought of how opening one of those ice cream cartons would be. A sort of glazing of pixie frost lacing across the surface of the undisturbed sugar and ice.  
  
Her thoughts were interrupted by a voice behind her.  
  
"Sarah."  
  
She didn't turn around. She had dreamed of the voice enough times to be able to recognize it. She was not ready to match a face to the sound. The voice seemed aware of this, for it did not wait for her.  
  
"I'm not going to talk to you here," the voice said. "If you want answers, come to 137 Porter Drive. I'll be waiting for you."  
  
Sarah whirled around, but she knew that the source of the voice would be gone even before she stared at the cold glass doors across the hall.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Later that night, Sarah stared up at 137 Porter Drive. It was a simple cape cod house with a sidewalk leading up three steps to a small platform before the front door in the house's brick face. The only thing remarkable about it was the garden that took over nearly half of the lawn.  
  
Sarah took a deep breath, then walked up the sidewalk. Her hand firmly gripped the black iron railing as she ascended the few steps and stood before the door. She opened the screen and knocked on the wooden door behind it. When no one answered, she knocked again. Suspecting that no one would answer, she opened the door and stepped inside.  
  
To Sarah's amazement, she was just inside the entrance to the Labyrinth.  
  
She whirled around. The heavy double doors to the entrance closed behind her. She looked to her left and to her right. Yes, it really was the Labyrinth! She recognized it all, from the double doors behind her to the strange lichen of eyes that sprouted here and there along the walls. She smiled and sighed in relief and excitement. She was in the Labyrinth again!  
  
Then Sarah became cautious. How had the stranger in her nightmares known how to get here? Why did he send her here, and for what foul purpose? Sarah decided that she would be able to sort it all out when she saw Jareth. She just had to see him again!  
  
She went down the path to her right, carefully studying the walls for the entrance she had used before. She remembered very much of her first time in the Labyrinth, but she did not trust herself to remember the route. Now that she was here-really and truly here-she would have to make sure.  
  
She wanted to see Hoggle and Ludo and Sir Dydimus again.but first and foremost, she had to see Jareth. He was the one with all of the answers. She nodded as she stood before the opening in the wall. Jareth had all of the answers.  
  
Jareth would know what to do.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Jason looked at the empty bed that Sarah usually would be sleeping in at this time. He went downstairs and looked at the empty bulletin board that would usually have a note from Sarah on it. He looked at the empty answering machine that would usually have a message from Sarah on it. He cleared them out every morning, and they were usually back again by night.  
  
Where was Sarah?  
  
Jason called Doxie Lee, then Aris, then Jake, then Mary, then Thomas, then everybody except for the landlord. Last of all, he called Sarah's parent's house, wondering if she'd stayed there for dinner.  
  
It was four-year-old Toby who answered. "Hello, Toby," Jason said, somewhat surprised. "Are your parents home?"  
  
"Nope," Toby said. "They went out. The baby-sitter fell asleep in front of the telebee. I'm all alone."  
  
Jason smiled wryly. Toby was a great kid, and a smart one, but he would have to think of a better cover story in case his parents called. "You must like that," he said. "Tell me, have you seen Sarah at all tonight?"  
  
"Nope," Toby said. "But I wish she'd come and baby-sit me instead of mean old Ashley." Toby absolutely despised Ashley, who had no imagination and plenty of irritation at the slightest of Toby's bending from the norm. "Why don't you come and baby-sit?" Toby suggested hopefully. "I can be good, and I'm sure mom an' dad'll pay you."  
  
Jason smiled. "Sorry, Toby," he said. He really meant it. "I have to go look for your sister. But I'll come by later if I find her before your parents come home."  
  
"They'll be home late," Toby promised quickly. "Good luck, Jason."  
  
"Good bye, Toby," Jason said. Then he hung up and sighed heavily before walking down stairs. Where could Sarah be?  
  
Suddenly, a violent pain in Jason's chest dropped him to his knees, gasping for air. He looked up as the pain subsided, wiping his hair out of his eyes. He could feel a fleeting stir in his memory, something on the edge of his consciousness. He reached for it, stretching out his hands to grasp the lost part of himself. He felt it come back to him for a brief moment, saw a flash of a vast maze coiling across the landscape to a glistening castle of magic and wonder-  
  
But then it was gone.  
  
Jason straightened, and walked back up the stairs to his room. He opened his top drawer, brushing aside a white feather as he did so, and looked inside. There was a regular jumble of odds and ends, nothing so out of the ordinary. Hadn't there been a crystal ball in here before?  
  
Oh well, it didn't matter. The crystal meant nothing to him. He could not remember why it was special. But it hardly seemed to matter.  
  
He brushed a black feather from his bureau and closed the drawer before going back downstairs to find Sarah.  
  
Author: Well, I realize that it's not so good. But this is really just a bridge between chapter two and chapter four, which is under construction as you read! (under construction? Eh?) But please review to let me know what you think of it. I really do read your reviews, and they really are supportive. Thank you for reading this much! Ja Ne! 


	4. Secrets Revealed

Disclaimer: Yay! Ooooh, I'm so happy I got reviews! As always, I own nothing, even though I really really wish I did. But thank you all for this much support, and here is your next chapter as a reward for your time! And you can have some tea! (the Disclaimer tries to pass tea through the internet, but it doesn't seem to be working.)  
  
Author: I tried to give you tea. But anyway, here we are at chapter 4, and I'm so happy you like it so much! I promise to keep writing as long as I'm able, and I am very appreciative of your feedback. In this chapter, something very improbable happens, but I thought it would be cool. Anywho, here is chapta fo', and I hope you like it! (And yes, Star Moon, kudos to you.)  
  
Sarah reached up and brushed her hand along the top of the wall. She had forgotten how the walls of the Labyrinth kept changing. She was sure that she'd be able to navigate her way if she reached the forest, but if the walls kept changing, she wouldn't be able to reach it. She sighed, and pressed on.  
  
She hadn't encountered any one yet in the Labyrinth, which suited her just fine. However, it was unsettling to have the Labyrinth so empty. She had encountered at least a few creatures by this point, one of which being her dear friend Hoggle. She wondered now if that had been mere coincidence, or if Jareth had placed Hoggle there specifically. In any case, she had met no one, and it was beginning to bother her.  
  
Around the corner, however, she found herself looking at rows of hedges rather than stone walls. She knew perfectly well that she had not gone this route before, but she remembered that the door to the forest had been through the hedges. This and this alone spurred her on.  
  
After and hour or so of weaving through the hedges, she was beginning to feel desperate. "There seemed to be so many more creatures in here before," she said aloud. "And I had no idea there were so many different paths between the hedges. I should have tried to find the Ubliette."  
  
She trailed off as she turned the corner. There were the two doors that she had gone through to get to the forest. Her cry of surprise turned into one of fear as she noticed that the knockers were bare!  
  
Before when she had come, the knockers had been lovely though very skeptical faces, one deaf and the other nearly mute, as their knockers dictated. But now the door was just a blank stone face with lonely knockers halfway up their faces. It made Sarah shudder to look at the empty doors.  
  
Wanting to reach the castle now more than ever, she marched resolutely up to the right-hand door and knocked the dead knocker.  
  
She shuddered as the door creaked open and looked at the forest on the other side. IT was the same as ever, except for the fact that it was silent and empty. There was something very wrong about the whole thing. Still, Sarah had no other choice but to go through it if she wished to find Jareth, and wanted now more than ever to have an explanation.  
  
Sarah walked past the still trees with growing dread. "Perhaps I should turn back?" she said aloud. The sound of her voice in the stillness was unsettling. "It was stupid to come here."  
  
"Of course it was," said a very indignant voice. "All the food's gone."  
  
Sarah looked around wildly, her eyes straining through the shadows cast by the leafy branches. "Who's there?" she asked, her voice wavering slightly. "Come out."  
  
Even though she knew someone was there, she nearly had a heart attack when a figure emerged from a nearby tree. The figure dropped to the ground on all fours, then straightened. It was a boy roughly 16, with long and unkempt brown hair. His arms were strong and his eyes were sharp, surrounded by a sort of mask of black dye to keep off the sun. What surprised Sarah most was that the boy was human, wearing a completely normal-looking black tee-shirt and jeans.  
  
He noticed her surprise, and waved at it in dismissal. "I've been here a while," he said bitterly. "Why are you here?"  
  
Sarah recomposed herself. "I'm looking for the goblin king," she told him. "You say you've been here long?"  
  
"Yeah," he said half-heartedly. "That bas-vermin took my little brother away about a year and a half ago." He scowled. "And I've been stuck here ever since."  
  
Sarah raised her eyebrows in shock. "Jareth didn't send you back?" she asked weakly. The boy spread his arms wide in a gesture of helplessness.  
  
"Probably forgot about me. Still, I doubt he'd forget a pretty girl like you," he said scaldingly. "He's not all smooth-talking and charming when it's a boy, you know. He tries to make the girls like him so that they don't try and defeat him."  
  
"Have you tried to defeat him?" Sarah asked.  
  
"Heh. I never even saw the castle," he said. "Still, my brother's a goblin now. I suppose no one back there recognizes the fact that I'm gone. Ah, well. You'll probably have a better chance of reaching the castle now that all the goblins have fled."  
  
"Do you know where they went?" Sarah asked hopefully. The boy shook his head.  
  
"As far as I know, they all faded," he said. "The whole place has started to fade away."  
  
"What?" Sarah asked, devastated.  
  
"Yeah," the boy said. "Things are less complex. The dreams and stuff that hold the place up are failing. I suppose they couldn't maintain the goblins anymore."  
  
Sarah eyes him suspiciously. "How do you know all this?" she asked.  
  
The boy shrugged and sighed. "You learn things," he said. "That's what they've all been talking about since the fading got worse about three months ago. I just listen to the fire gang swapping stories. It has to be big if they're worried."  
  
Sarah didn't trust his story, but she didn't want to waste more time. She held out a hand for him to shake. "My name is Sarah," she said. "Will you come with me to the castle beyond the goblin city?"  
  
The boy hesitated, then gave her hand a rough shake. "I'm Gabriel Lloyd," he said. "I'll follow if you know the way."  
  
* * * * *  
  
Jason awoke with a start. He peeled his face from the page of his text book and realized that class was just ending, students shuffling around and putting their school work away. Jason also realized a mortifying fact: this was not his class.  
  
"Ah, Jason! So good to see you awake," the professor said pleasantly as he packed his things. "The classes were quite amused at your lack of attention."  
  
Jason winced. "Sorry, professor," he said.  
  
"Be thankful you did not sleep through three classes," the professor said as he descended. "I was starting to think you were ready for the good eight hours you should have slept last night." Again, Jason winced. He would have to try harder with his written work to make up for his poor class participation.  
  
"Sorry, professor," he repeated. "It's been a little busy."  
  
The professor raised her eyebrows. "While I sympathize your predicament with the added strain of your work, I must ask that you sleep at home and not waste my class' time," she said.  
  
"Of course, professor," Jason said. If only she knew what was really eating up his waking hours. How would she feel about his sleeping in class then?  
  
She smiled in a satisfied way. "Now good bye, Jason," she said cheerfully. "And do get a good night's rest!"  
  
When Jason did get home, however, his thoughts went back to Sarah. She had been missing for a whole day. He didn't want to alert the authorities, but he was starting to get anxious. He had left a note on the bulletin board for her to call his cell phone, but she had not. He swiped irritably at a black feather and decided to go for a walk.  
  
He passed the shops and stores, glancing at all of them. The entire street seemed to be cut out of a fairy-tale, and he remembered how Sarah had loved to shop in the stores for decorations or costumes. He passed a gigantic store devoted to fairy-tale decorations, noticing the civil war museum across the street. He thought idly how it was quite a clash of atmosphere as he passed a small art museum featuring an exhibit of work inspired by Dr. Seuss.  
  
Jason stopped in front of a small store and looked up at the sign overhead. It read in bold, curving font: Crystal Underground. On display in the window, among other things, was a clear crystal sphere.  
  
At the sight, Jason's eyes widened. His muscles tightened. He stared around wildly at the street, the shops, the street lamps just turning on as darkness fell. "This. how can this be?" asked Jason. But it was not Jason's voice that escaped his mouth.  
  
"I have to go back," he said, looking back up at the sign. "I have to go back to the Labyrinth. Sarah needs-"  
  
Before finishing his sentence, he took off in a dead run. He had to find the portal, had to go back before the Labyrinth faded, before Sarah was caught. He knew that the evil he had felt in Sarah's nightmares was chasing him, and probably Sarah as well.  
  
"This body," he said as he rounded the corner. "I have to get out of here! This body-"  
  
Suddenly, he felt a cold streak of fear run through him. He stopped running as suddenly as he had started and turned around to face his opponent. The shadowed figure loomed just in the doorway of an empty shop. "I see you managed to surface again," he said mockingly.  
  
Jason's lip curled in disgust. "Get out of my life, vermin!" he spat angrily. The figure was only amused at this outburst.  
  
"Why, we've known each other for so long, why don't you call me Jaelithe?" the figure asked in a fake chivalrous tone. "And I wouldn't be so rude if I were you, Jareth"  
  
The disguised goblin king glowered at him. "What do you mean?" he growled. "And come into the light, damn you! What's the use of you lurking about where I can't see you?"  
  
Jaelithe smirked audibly and walked out of the shadows. Jareth drank in his appearance through Jason's eyes. Jaelithe was not especially tall, not nearly as tall as Jareth. Yet he had a strong aura of power that was not punctured by his lack of height. He wore all black, of course, and his thick mane of hair did not change the theme. His eyes always carried a look of superiority, and his lips were nearly always curled into a smirk. Needless to say, Jareth did not think very highly of him.  
  
"Now," Jaelithe said. "I think we are both aware of your weakness, yes? That obsession of yours is doing your kingdom no good, I assure you. And your command on dreams is slipping. sad, isn't it?" He winked knowingly at Jareth. "Wouldn't want any accidents to happen in this state, would we?"  
  
"If you've come to finish me off, I'm not going anywhere," Jareth said impatiently.  
  
Jaelithe's eyebrows raised in mock insult. "Now, don't think me so tacktless," he said in a fake offended voice. "I actually am interested in- "  
  
"I know what you're interested in!" Jareth interrupted. "And 'tactless' doesn't have a k in it!" Jaelithe's eyes narrowed. He hated being interrupted almost as much as he hated people correcting his spelling.  
  
"I am hunting Sarah," he said hotly. "She's become your obsession, your reason for coming here in that human disguise and losing control of your realm. I'm going to hunt her down and torture her until you cannot stand to see her live!"  
  
Jareth raised his own eyebrows. "So much for subtlety," he said. He was trying to keep a brave front, but there was a tremor in his voice that even he could not disguise. Jaelithe knew that he had scored a point.  
  
"I've already got big plans for little Sarah," he said nastily. Jareth clenched his hand into a fist by his side.  
  
"The girl means nothing to me!" he shouted a little too defensively. Jaelithe cackled with glee.  
  
"Oh, we shall see when her head hangs from my window," he said menacingly. Unable to stop himself, Jareth lunged for Jaelithe, fires of hate coursing through him. Jaelithe's eyes widened in evil joy. "I believe I have no argument with Jason," he hissed.  
  
Jason lowered his arms, staring at the black-clad boy in front of him. "I'm sorry," he said. "Can I help you?"  
  
Jaelithe smiled dangerously. "Oh, it's nothing," he said, chuckling as he walked away. "Nothing, nothing at all."  
  
Author: So, what did you think? There actually is a store called Crystal Underground, it's in Elicott City. I know that the bit with Gabriel is kind of unlikely, but hey? Maybe Jareth got forgetful? (heh, maybe not.) Anyways, please let me know what you think, and I promise to update soon! Until then, Ja Ne! 


	5. Troubling Twist of Fate

Disclaimer: Hey! Welcome back! Here's the next chapter, and I still don't own Labyrinth! Enjoy!  
  
Author: Erm. yeah. Anyway, sorry I was out all weekend. I thought of all you readers while I was away! (I even had a nightmare in which all of my reviews came to life and tried to kill by bellowing their words at a painfully high frequency) But, everybody's back now, and it's time for the next chapter, so sit down and have some cocoa! (Why. Won't. It. Go. Through. The. Internet?!)  
  
"Hey, Sarah!"  
  
Sarah turned around to look over her shoulder. "What is it, Gabriel?" she asked.  
  
The boy was standing rather unhappily with each foot on a different rock. He put one hand over his nose while the other tried to fan the fumes away. "Are you sure this is the right way?" he demanded though a pinched nose. "This is the bog of eternal stench, isn't it?"  
  
Sarah smiled winningly at him. "Yep, it sure is," she said cheerfully. "We're right on track. This is where I met my friend Sir Dydimus. If all the goblins hadn't left, he would be up at that dead tree." She pointed up to the towering tree and remembered with a pang of sadness how they had met. "Of course, there used to be a bridge here," she said. "You can jump rocks, can't you?"  
  
"If this smell doesn't make me faint!" he said. The two of them made it to the stepping stones, and had no trouble getting across. "I'm almost glad I didn't make it this far!" Gabriel said huffily. "Made me feel like I'd never smell fresh air again."  
  
"I know the feeling," Sarah said. "Now, I'm not quite certain about this part, but we should be fine when we get in sight of the castle." Gabriel nodded, and the pair of them weaved their way along the path toward the center of the Labyrinth.  
  
"I don't like this," Gabriel said.  
  
"What's wrong?" Sarah asked. She was hardly listening, trying to catch a glimpse of the castle. Still, she turned and gave the stranded boy her full attention.  
  
"Well," he said. "Don't you think that the Goblin king would have come out to stop us by now? I mean, I know you've already defeated him and all, but wouldn't he come to see why you're back here again?"  
  
Sarah frowned. "You may be right," she said. "I kind of was hoping he would. But maybe he's preoccupied with his goblins disappearing and all. I'm sure he would have come to meet us if he thought he should."  
  
"I suppose you'd know best," he said. "But even so, it bugs me. I think we better be careful now. There may be other reasons for the lack of activity."  
  
Sarah glanced at him. She had the feeling that too many months in the Labyrinth had left him paranoid. She said nothing, however, and looked out again toward the center. "There!" she said, pointing excitedly. "There's the castle!"  
  
Gabriel looked, and a sharp gasp let her know that he had seen it too. "We should reach it soon," she said happily. "And then Jareth has some answering to do."  
  
It was still several hours before they reached the castle, and in that time, a sense of foreboding grew. Sarah had thought that the goblins had merely fled, and that some may still be in the city, but everyone, even the giant that defended the gates, was gone. Gabriel seemed completely paranoid with the complete absence of any threat. When they reached the castle gates, nothing stopped them from going inside.  
  
Every sound seemed amplified within the castle. Sarah's footfalls echoed through the halls, and the dust motes swirling in the sunlight was all that kept her from the eerie sensation of time standing still. It was therefore understandable how she nearly screamed when Gabriel touched her arm. "Shh!" he hissed at her.  
  
She realized that he was staring intently at one of the pillars that lined the hall. He took three soundless steps toward it, and then in a single swift motion, brought a creature out from behind it.  
  
It was a small goblin, barely two feet tall. It had large red eyes and a shock of blue-white hair that stood straight up on end. It was struggling furiously against Gabriel's grip, but it was obvious that it had no strength to free itself. "Put me down!" it demanded. "Put me down this instant!"  
  
"What were you doing, sneaking around behind that pillar?" Gabriel asked. He set the goblin down, and it did not run away. It merely glared indignantly at the pair of them with its arms folded over its chest.  
  
"I had to be sure," it said. "That your young lady companion was the Sarah, not some other Sarah, who this message does not concern."  
  
"What message?" Sarah asked. "Where have all the other goblins gone?" The goblin messenger considered her for a moment before answering.  
  
"The message is for you and you alone," it said, eyeing Gabriel. The boy glared dangerously down at it, but Sarah held up her hand before he did anything else.  
  
"Gabriel is with me," she said. "There is nothing for me to hear that he cannot." The goblin looked as though it would protest, but decided against it. He drew himself up to his full and unimpressive height as he delivered his message.  
  
"As you can see, the goblins have all disappeared from this land. That is because our king, Jareth, has traveled to your world. He has been seeking you ever since you defeated him, of course, but it was only in your dreams. But a short time ago, he journeyed to your world physically as well as mentally. He found an annual appointment during which he could meet with you in human form. Then, a few months ago, he left the Labyrinth completely.  
  
His absence has caused the Labyrinth to deteriorate. All of the complex dreams have gone, faded, and the less complex will not be very far behind. If King Jareth does not return to this realm soon, it is very likely that it will vanish entirely."  
  
"But what does that have to do with me?" Sarah asked.  
  
"Because you are the reason he left!" the goblin said. "If you had not come along, King Jareth would not have been interested in following you, and he would not have left, and things would not be as they are now."  
  
"And what," Gabriel said. "do you propose we do about it?"  
  
The goblin messenger acted as though it was Sarah's question. "You have to go back, and tell King Jareth to return here! And quickly! He must be spending so much time in human form! Only you can remind him of the Labyrinth, and only you can convince him to return!"  
  
"But what human form did Jareth take?" Sarah asked.  
  
The Goblin opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. His eyes rolled back in his head, and he fell forward, a knife protruding from his back.  
  
Mocking laughter reached Sarah's ears, and she looked up to see the black haired demon lord standing before her. She knew instantly that it was he who had been haunting her dreams. She glared at his insolence, and he merely looked back with a sense of superiority and amusement. "He was saying too much, you see," Jaelithe said. "His last purpose in life was to tell you to save Jareth, but I couldn't have him give adequate details for the little rescue party."  
  
"How dare you!" Sarah fumed. "How dare you kill an innocent-"  
  
"Noble statements, I'm sure," he said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "You needn't worry your pretty little head, he wasn't going to live that much longer anyway. The two of you," he turned his smirk on Gabriel. "Ought to be going back to the real world, don't you think?"  
  
"The real world?" Sarah repeated.  
  
"Yes," he said mockingly. "Your world, the real world. It's obvious that this world won't be real for much longer."  
  
"Shut up!" Sarah shouted. "Just shut up! We'll find Jareth, we'll bring him back here, you'll see! We can save the Labyrinth!"  
  
"Ah," Jaelithe said, a smile crossing his smug face. "But perhaps it is yourself you should try to save. Things are about to get much more dangerous for you, little Sarah. Are you ready?" He grinned, showing rows of glistening white teeth.  
  
Before Sarah could say another word, a swirling grey mist wrapped itself around her like fingers of smoke. When it cleared, she was standing once again on the streets of her own world.  
  
Author: So! There wasn't a whole lot of Jason/ Jareth action, but you got a good healthy dose of Sarah, and a little more info on the situation! Tell me if you enjoyed it, and I'll be writing more soon! (runs off to defeat the vicious conquer-monkeys) 


	6. The Significance of Dreams

Disclaimer: Weell, it's time for chapta 6, and I hope you like it! By the way, I still own nothing, so you can't have it!  
  
Author: Yes, thank you, Disclaimer! Now, here is chapter 6, and I want to thank all of my loyal readers! (you know who you are.) And I want to thank everyone for making this fic the most popular of all of my ickle ficcies! (Puts on a party hat and throws confetti into the air) Have some cake!  
  
Disclaimer: You know that they won't get your cake. Why do you keep trying to send food and drink items through to your readers? It never works.  
  
Author: I can try, dammit!  
  
"Sarah? Is that you?"  
  
Sarah turned around as a very relieved-looking Jason ran up to her. "Sarah! I've been looking all over for you! Where have you been?" Jason looked over at Gabriel. "Who are you?"  
  
"This is Gabriel," Sarah said to Jason, wishing that it was less obvious Gabriel had been living in a less than civilized area for the past year and a half. "I've been over at his house. Sorry I didn't tell you," she said quickly.  
  
"I was worried about you. No one knew where you were," Jason said. "I was about to call 911!"  
  
"Gosh, sorry, mom," Gabriel muttered. Sarah shot him a look to silence him. Jason seemed so relieved by Sarah's return that he did not question where exactly Gabriel lived or how now he seemed to have no where to stay. He led Sarah and Gabriel back to the house without a second thought.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Jaelithe looked down at the house below him. There was only one light on; the light in Jason's room. Jaelithe jumped down gracefully onto the roof like an overgrown bat, peering over the edge into Sarah's window. Then he transformed himself into a black owl and alighted on her window sill.  
  
She turned, and murmured something in her sleep. The owl blinked its large golden eyes and hooted softly. Then it turned back into a boy who sat calmly on the window sill, as though there was nothing amiss. But inside Jaelithe's mind was a battle of wills. * * * * *  
  
"Sarah."  
  
"I said go away!" she shouted. "You've haunted me enough!"  
  
"But Sarah," he said. "I do so love walking into your dreams, seeing the way your mind works. Haven't made any progress on that little mystery, have we?"  
  
"Shut up!" she yelled. "if you're not going to tell me who Jareth is, you can at least stop taunting me with it!"  
  
"Oh, but Sarah," he said. "That's half the fun!"  
  
"Why can't you leave me alone, anyway?" she demanded. "Has it got something to do with me, or Jareth, or what?"  
  
"Take your second guess."  
  
"Jareth?"  
  
"Good girl."  
  
"Then why bother dragging me into it? If it's his problem, take it up with him!" Sarah was angry now. She was angry at Jaelithe, for being there, herself, for ruining the Labyrinth, even Jareth, for caring so much about her. She had thought after her first time in the Labyrinth, that it would be no more than a memory once she had left. But now, it nearly consumed her thoughts. "Leave me out of it!" she shouted at Jaelithe.  
  
"Oh, but my dear Sarah," Jaelithe said. "It's all about you. You're the reason he left the Labyrinth, and the reason he can't go back now. You're also the only one who can save the Labyrinth, and make him go back. And I certainly can't leave you alone, because he hates it so much when you suffer. Do you know where he is? No, you don't. His every waking thought is because of you, and you had forgotten him until only a week ago. Feeling guilty yet? You ought to be."  
  
"I ought to beat you to a pulp!" Sarah growled. Jaelithe only laughed.  
  
"It's so adorable when you lose your temper," he told her.  
  
"You have no idea," she said truthfully.  
  
"Oh? Let's see, then."  
  
Instantly, everything that had ever made Sarah angry whirled before her eyes. Her memories and dreams all pushed against her, drowning her, suffocating her. She kicked out at them, beat them with her fists, but dreams feel no pain. They closed in all around her, and she felt as though she couldn't breathe. "Jareth!" she shouted, demonic laughter filling her ears.  
  
"Jareth! JAAAARRREEEEEETTTHHHHH!"  
  
* * * * *  
  
"Sarah! Wake up!"  
  
Sarah awoke once again to stare up into Jason's face. "I had no idea," she said, not feeling the words leave her mouth. "I had no idea he could-"  
  
"Sarah, are you alright? What are you talking about?"  
  
Sarah steadied her breathing and calmed down. Jason looked at her, his face etched with worry lines. Sarah reminded herself that Jason would not understand. He would probably send her to a psychiatric ward. She took a deep breath and reminded herself that she was in the real world.  
  
But what was real? Many people would say that the Labyrinth wasn't real, yet it was. Or perhaps it wasn't. Perhaps it was really a fragment of her imagination, held up by her dreams. Yet she had been there. Been there, and felt, and seen, and heard, and even smelt and tasted that world. How could it be unreal? How could this be real?  
  
"Sarah?" Jason ventured.  
  
Sarah smiled up at him. "It's nothing. Jason," she said. "I'm sorry I woke you up again. I'll try to be better next time."  
  
"It is not nothing," Jason insisted. "Can't you tell me what's wrong?"  
  
Sarah looked at him for a long time. Finally, she said, "No, I can't Jason. This is my problem, and I can't drag you into it. It would be better if you weren't involved. For both of us." "But Sarah," Jason said. "I care about what happens to you. I want to know what's bothering you so much. I'm sure I could help you if you'd only tell me what was wrong. Don't you trust me?"  
  
Sarah sighed. "Of course I trust you, Jason," she said. "But sometimes we have to do things alone."  
  
"But why?" he asked. Sarah remembered when she had been asked the same question. She gave Jason the same answer she had given to Hoggle and Ludo and Dydimus those years ago.  
  
"Because that's the way it's done," she said.  
  
A black owl unfurled its wings and glided off as the dawn approached.  
  
* * * * *  
  
"Sounds like it's her problem, then," Doxie Lee said. She and Jason were sitting at the student bar, and Jason had just finished telling her about the scene that morning. "You can't force her to share her problems if she wants to handle it herself. If they turn out to be too much for her, trust me, you'll know."  
  
"But it's turning into my problem," he said. "It's driving me absolutely crazy. I keep having these times when it's like I almost remember something, but I can't quite remember it. Do you know what I mean?" Doxie Lee nodded. "I keep feeling as though her dreams have something to do with it. Why would she not want to tell me?"  
  
"Well, maybe it's because it feels weird," Doxie Lee said.  
  
'What?"  
  
"Yeah, I mean she's weird, dreams are weird, you're weird, it feels weird talking about stuff that's weird, especially when the people involved are weird, and let's face it, you guys are just plain weird."  
  
Jason blinked. "You must have said weird about seven times," he said. "Besides, I don't think that's the problem. Do you think that she doesn't trust me or something?"  
  
Doxie Lee shook her head. "I don't think that's it. She trusts you with an awful lot. It probably has something to do with her past, or people she knows in other places. She probably thinks it's too complicated for you. Give her time, she'll come around. I wouldn't worry."  
  
"But in the meantime, what should I do?" he asked.  
  
Doxie Lee smiled at him. "Try spending time with me," she said. Before Jason could do anything about it, Doxie Lee was kissing him.  
  
He pushed her away viciously. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" he demanded.  
  
"Oh, don't pretend you didn't like it," she said in a tone sweet enough to cause cavities. Jason glared at her with a fury she had never seen before.  
  
"I care nothing for you," he said. "If you ever touch me again, fool, I will make sure that it is the last thing you ever touch!" Without another word, he strode out of the room, into the dusky air.  
  
"At least," he said bitterly. "The foolish girl got me into my head again. I have to find that vermin Jaelithe-"  
  
Jareth took off at a run down the side streets, heading back toward the house, knowing that his rival would appear as Sarah slept.  
  
Author: Well, there you go, and let me know what you think! I hope it wasn't too bad. In the meantime, I'll try to solve the greenhouse effect and find out why they put Braille on ATMs, when blind people can't tell the difference between the bills? (Runs off to eat cake) 


	7. Bet You Didn't See That One Coming!

Disclaimer: Hello! Welcome to the next chapter in Watagashi's Labyrinth Fan Fic: Far From Real. Today, I'm going to use characters that don't belong to me, and no one is going to sue me for it! Yay! (applause, applause, applause)  
  
Author: Yes, thank you. Now, you've all been waiting for the next chapter, and here it is! I hope you enjoy it, and I promise that the ending will come soon, you eager beaver, you! I also may be out for the fourth of July weekend, but I'll update as soon as I can! I promise! (starts to walk away )  
  
Disclaimer: You're done?  
  
Author: Hey, I'm not going to try and pass beverages through the internet every time! I can take a hint, you know!  
  
Disclaimer: And now, our feature presentation.  
  
"Sarah."  
  
That was all that was on Jareth's mind. He had to find her. Why did she keep running off like that? He had to find her before Jaelithe could intervene again.  
  
Jareth looked down at himself. It would be easier to keep his head if he could go back to his own body. But he couldn't risk being exposed. He groaned at the inconvenience of it all, but did not slacken his pace. It was becoming harder and harder for him to remember that he was not Jason, he was Jareth disguising himself as Jason. If he forgot that fact, it was likely that he would never be Jareth again.  
  
He turned down an alleyway and onto a side street. Sarah's car turned around the corner and out of sight.  
  
Jareth took off at a run after the car. He nearly flew around the corner and saw that the car had stopped at a red light. His eyes glowed with triumph as he ran up to it. He was sure that this was the chance he had been waiting for.  
  
But the light changed. The car turned right and drove along a busier road. Growling in frustration, Jareth dashed across the street, narrowly avoiding being hit by an SUV and almost giving an old lady a heart attack. He raced along the side of the road, spotting Sarah's car up ahead. There was a four-way intersection just up the road. But the light was green.  
  
Jareth wished that he was in his own body, in which case, he could have caught up to her as an owl. But Jason had no such talents, and Jareth was forced to try and run forty-five miles an hour to catch up. Then, thankfully, the light turned yellow, and then red, stopping Sarah's car just before it could cross the intersection.  
  
"Sarah!" Jareth shouted as he crossed the street again, nearly colliding with a school bus.  
  
"Jason?" Sarah inquired. "What's up? What are you doing here?" Jareth leaned, panting, against the car. Gabriel sat in the passenger seat, surveying him with mild interest.  
  
"I need to talk to you-" Jareth started, not caring whether the boy heard or not. "Right now!" Sarah leaned backward and opened the back door to the car. Jareth got in and closed the door behind him as the light changed. The car sped off again onto the on ramp and then the highway.  
  
"Well, what is it, Jason?" Sarah asked after a while.  
  
"I'm Jareth."  
  
"WHAT????!!!!!"  
  
The car swerved violently, causing several horns to blare loudly and causing the same old lady to nearly have a heart attack again. Sarah pulled over by the side of the road and turned, white-faced, to look at him. Gabriel cocked a very skeptical eyebrow.  
  
"Didn't you used to be taller?" Gabriel asked. Jareth ignored him and turned his attention back to Sarah.  
  
"I know this may seem hard to believe," he said before she could start talking. "But I am Jareth. I came to your world disguised as Jason so that I could get close to you without you knowing it. It worked out fine for the first couple of months, but when I started living with you, I ended up having to stay Jason all the time. I couldn't go back to my own body, and I couldn't return to the Labyrinth.  
  
"There didn't seem to be that much of a problem, as I could turn back if I wanted to, but lately I've been forgetting who I am. I started to think that I actually was Jason who might at some time have thought that he could have been Jareth. I started to forget how to go back. And then Jaelithe showed up, and-"  
  
"Jareth, shut up."  
  
He blinked in surprise at being cut off. Sarah took a deep, calming breath. "If what you're saying is true," she said slowly. "You have got to go back to the Labyrinth. Right now."  
  
"But Sarah-" Jareth started. Sarah cut him off again.  
  
"You really have got to go back to the Labyrinth," she said. "It needs you. It's falling apart. It's fading away. You have got to go back to the Labyrinth before you forget and it disappears."  
  
"But Sarah-"  
  
"Don't argue with me, Jareth! You have to go back!" Sarah said firmly. "it's really sweet of you to be concerned for me and all, but-"  
  
"I can't!" Jareth bellowed, shocking Sarah into silence. Gabriel's eyebrow remained cocked, this time in puzzlement.  
  
"What do you mean, 'you can't'?" he asked. "Don't you have a spell or something? You got here, didn't you?" Jareth shot him a withering look, and Gabriel decided that it was time to mind his own business.  
  
"I can't go back," Jareth explained. "Because the crystal orb is gone. As I turned more and more into Jason, it disappeared without my thought forms to maintain it. That was my only ticket out. There isn't another way to get back."  
  
Sarah thought for a moment. "But Jaelithe." she started. She glanced at Gabriel for reassurance. "Jaelithe was able to transport me to the Labyrinth. He put a spell on a door or something, so that when I went through it, I appeared in the Labyrinth." She looked Jareth in the eye. "So there has to be another way back."  
  
Jareth shook his head. "It would appear that only Jaelithe can open the portal," he said.  
  
"Then," Gabriel said softly. "We'll have to ask him a favor."  
  
The car started up again, this time with renewed purpose. Jaelithe sniffed as he watched them drive away. "Honestly, I've heard less corny lines in a Marvel comic book," he muttered. He turned into a black owl, and swooped down after them on silent wings.  
  
Author: Well, here you go, and I hope you don't hate it! Until next time, Ja Ne! 


	8. A Failed Attack

Disclaimer: Hello! Welcome to the next chapter! You've all been so supportive, I'm touched! Now, you know the deal, I don't own Labyrinth, but I love it so much that I can use the characters!  
  
Author: All that and more, baby! This next chapter may not be as good as the others, but I wrote it for you anyway! And by the way, Ja Ne means see you in Japanese. I'm not sure if I'm spelling it right o.~, but it's a familiar and cheerful term. But you would rather read about Sarah and Jareth and Jaelithe, so I am going to turn you over to the main part of the fic. Enjoy!  
  
"Sarah?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"How can we be sure that Jaelithe will show up at the house?"  
  
Sarah looked over her shoulder at Gabriel as Jareth drove them toward the house. "I don't know for sure, Gabriel," she said. "But he's been playing with my dreams for some time now. Jareth says he has to be in range for the mental connection, so we're hoping that you two can find him while he's engaged with torturing me."  
  
Gabriel nodded and sat back. "But what if he isn't there tonight?" he asked.  
  
Sarah shrugged. "We'll just have to try again the next night." Gabriel didn't look convinced, but he said nothing. Jareth pulled into the driveway, and the three of them got out.  
  
"Sarah," Gabriel asked. "What if he's too strong for us?"  
  
Sarah turned and opened her mouth to speak, but Jareth cut her off. "Then the Labyrinth will die," he said. "But don't think of what will happen if you fail. Think of what you're saving if you succeed." Gabriel nodded, and the three of them walked up the sidewalk. They stopped outside the door and spoke in hushed tones.  
  
"Now Sarah," Jareth said. "You'll just go inside and go to sleep. When Jaelithe enters your dreams, try to keep him at bay as long as possible. You have nothing to worry about, just give us more time." Sarah nodded and kissed Jareth on the cheek. He raised his eyebrows and coughed uncomfortably before turned to Gabriel.  
  
"You will circle around the right and search for Jaelithe's original form, which you have seen, or a black owl. Try to stay casual, but stick to the shadows and make no noise. I'll circle the left. When you see him, come back and find me. Don't let him know you've seen him. All clear?" Gabriel nodded, and he and Jareth left to ring the house.  
  
Sarah watched Jareth's retreating form as it disappeared into the shadows. Then she opened the door, and walked inside.  
  
"Welcome home, Sarah."  
  
Sarah stared in horror at the boy on her couch. "What the hell are you doing here?" she screamed, her voice cracking with anger and fear. Jaelithe sat up and revolved the twin obsidian spheres around in his hand. He gave her a look of mock surprise.  
  
"Why, haven't you been expecting me?" he asked, his voice like sugar-coated poison. "After all, you decided that I was your ticket back to the Labyrinth, so I thought it best to come inside and wait."  
  
Sarah narrowed her eyes dangerously at him. "You were listening to us in the car," she said accusingly. Jaelithe held up his hands in a guilty shrug.  
  
"My dear Sarah, how could I resist? Jareth had surfaced again and was so determined to get your attention. I must admit I was impressed that he reached you before the highway in his puny human form. I wanted to know what all the fuss was about, and your window was open, and-"  
  
"Put a sock in it," Sarah said impatiently. Jaelithe blinked. He wasn't used to being interrupted. "Skip the fake innocence and get to the point," Sarah said, her hands on her hips. "What are you going to do with me now? And don't try to dodge around it and make yourself look clever, because it's about as idiotic as you are, and your tone sickens me."  
  
Jaelithe dropped his pleasant air quicker than a strapless prom dress. His eyes narrowed as he eyed Sarah dangerously, his eyebrows forming a single line over his eyes. He was more insulted by her insolence than any of her words, and was furious that a mere mortal would dare make a fool of him.  
  
"Foolish girl," he spat, his voice grating in his throat like ice. "You will control your tongue or you will lose it."  
  
Without another word, Jaelithe threw one of his obsidian globes directly at Sarah's face. She dodged, but the orb hovered above her and covered her with a golden light. Her legs flew out from under her, and she fell hard onto the floor, her teeth unexpectedly closing on her tongue. She could taste the blood in her mouth, but could feel no pain for the shock. Her entire body went limp, and she found that she had no control over her muscles.  
  
Images flashed threw her mind. One instant, a withered old hag crowing with delight over her father's blood-stained form. The next, a masked and muscle-bound figure chaining Toby to a medieval torture device. The next, a terrible giant bludgeoning children to death. Flashes of nightmares filled her mind, from a pitiless massacre of infants to the dark silence and cold of death. Above the ringing sounds of battle, above the screams of dying loved ones, Sarah could hear Jaelithe's evil laughter penetrating her thoughts, biting into her very soul.  
  
And she was powerless to stop him.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Jareth gazed up at the sky, his eyes hungrily searching for the silhouette of an owl. He scanned the trees, his eyes mercilessly studying every leaf and twig. His gaze pierced the shadows, straining to catch the faintest sign of life.  
  
But so far, he had only found two birds, one squirrel, and one cat. That was no where near his expectations.  
  
He cursed under his breath as he reached the midway point. Gabriel must not have found anything either. With a sigh, the disguised goblin king turned around and prepared to go around the house again.  
  
Then he stopped. He blinked into the darkness. "What am I doing back here?" Jason asked aloud.  
  
He shrugged and looked down at his luminous digital watch. "Uh-oh. I'm supposed to be in class right now! I better get moving."  
  
He cursed and went around to the front to enter the house.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Gabriel was already inside the house.  
  
He bent over Sarah, completely at a loss. "Sarah!" he shouted, hoping she would hear. "Come on, wake up! Sarah!"  
  
He heard a noise and looked up as Jason walked in. "Oh, thank god," he said in relief. "Jareth, I just found her here, and she won't wake up! I think Jaelithe put a spell on her or something-"  
  
"What are you talking about?" Jason asked. "What happened to Sarah? Is she alright?"  
  
Gabriel's eyes widened. "Jareth?" he ventured meekly.  
  
Jason shook his head. "No, my name's Jason," he corrected. "Now, what happened to Sarah? Did she just pass out?"  
  
Gabriel felt a wave of fear creep into his mind. He looked down at the unconscious Sarah, then back up at the as-good-as-unconscious Jason. He was completely alone.  
  
Author: Well, there's the next chapita, and I hope you liked it! And in case any of you were expecting it, I'm trying to shove some ice cream through the internet right now! (Is it supposed to emit sparks like that?) And I hope you'll tell me what you think! Ja Ne! O.~ 


	9. Wake Up, Sarah!

Disclaimer : Helloo! This is the next chapter! I still don't own any of the Labyrinth, but that obviously hasn't kept me from writing about it! (skips away to the happy-place)  
  
Author: Yeah. anyway, here is the next chapter! None of you seemed anxious for this to end, so I threw a little twist in the plot. I want to thank everyone for their support, and so for this chapita, everyone gets cookies! (er. maybe not)  
  
"Sarah."  
  
"Get out!"  
  
"You shouldn't have insulted me, Sarah."  
  
"What did you do to me?"  
  
He laughed at the urgency of her voice. "You're asleep," he told her. "You're trapped in a nightmare you can't wake up from."  
  
"I can conquer a nightmare!"  
  
"Fool. I am the Lord of Nightmares. You will find them more vivid and more powerful under my command. It is by my will alone that they are even now kept at bay."  
  
Sarah said nothing. She glared into the darkness all around her. Then she spoke again. "Don't be so arrogant. You are a lord of nothing. You torture me out of spite. Compensation for a minor injury."  
  
She could practically hear his smirk. "Perhaps. But I control you now. You are in my enchanted sleep, and no spell can counter it. Besides, your dear Jareth has fallen into a memory lapse again. He won't be joining you any time soon."  
  
Sarah brushed aside the fear welling in her throat. "You wait," she said. "You can't defeat us forever. The next time Jareth surfaces, he'll have a plan, he'll defeat you."  
  
"Ha! And if he never gets the chance?"  
  
Before Sarah could reply, she was plunged again into a swirling vortex of her nightmares. She fought her fear and revulsion with all of the mental power she had, picturing Jareth in her mind and willing herself to wake up.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Jason stared past the doctor, not quite seeing her. "You can't find anything wrong?" he asked.  
  
She shook her head. "Aside from a slight cut on her tongue, she's perfectly healthy," she said, straightening her glasses. She was almost convinced that the three young people were playing a prank on her. It had happened before.  
  
Gabriel clenched his fists at his sides as his attempt to stay calm failed. "She's unconscious, and nothing you do will wake her up. Of course something's wrong!" The doctor eyed him nervously, hoping that he wouldn't lose his temper to a greater degree.  
  
"If you'd like, you may see her for a few minutes," she said crisply. "While I look up her medical record. There is a monitor next to her bed showing all of her vitals. Why don't you check and see how normal they are?"  
  
Gabriel curled his lip at her retreating back. "How can she tell us nothing's wrong? Little. ," he proceeded to mutter under his breath as the two boys entered the hospital room.  
  
Sarah lay quite still upon the bed. Sitting on the bed next to her and looking completely at home, was Jaelithe.  
  
He looked up and smiled as the door slammed behind the two boys. "Ah," he said sarcastically. "True gentlemen. Come to see the damsel in distress?" He smiled more broadly at the anger inching onto Gabriel's face. "I assure you, the terrible dragon is just one step ahead of you."  
  
Jason was now completely confused. "I'm sorry?" he said. "Who are you? You're not supposed to be here, are you?"  
  
Gabriel rolled his eyes and slapped a hand to his forehead. "Where is Jareth when you need him?" he asked. He could hear Jaelithe snickering, and glared at him angrily. "Well? What happens now?"  
  
Jaelithe raised his eyebrows. The little blips indicating Sarah's heartbeat became more rapid. She drew a sharp breath, but remained asleep. Jason's eyes widened, and Gabriel turned exactly one shade paler. Jaelithe grinned maliciously.  
  
"You walk out of here, and Sarah gets to live," Jaelithe said. "You see, I'm not really looking forward to your chasing me around, trying to get me to send Jareth back to the castle, trying to get me to leave Sarah alone, trying to get me to play nice with you little kids. The whole reason I started playing with little Sarah in the first place was to see if she would notice that Jareth had gone. I loved the look on her face when she saw that the Labyrinth was dying.  
  
"But then you had to come along, and you had to plot out clever little schemes to trick me into sending little Jarey-poo back to his realm. It insults me that you think you could defeat me with Jareth in such a weakened state. So now little Sarah will just have to suffer until you can leave me alone."  
  
"Leave you alone?!" Gabriel shouted. "You started to bother us!"  
  
"Um, excuse me," Jason said in a very annoyed tone. "I have no idea what you're talking about, and it probably has nothing to do with me, but It sounds as though most of your argument is with this Jareth person, so I think you can leave Sarah out of this."  
  
"You idiot!" Gabriel shouted at him. He kept his voice raised in the hopes that a nurse would come, though it seemed unlikely. "You don't even know who that is!"  
  
Jason shrugged, spreading his arms in a gesture of helplessness. "Well, then, who is he?" Jason asked. Jaelithe, who had been snickering to himself the entire time, burst into laughter. He calmed himself and grinned evilly as he pointed an accusing finger at Jason.  
  
"You are."  
  
With a flash of golden light, Jaelithe disappeared, a single black feather drifting down to rest upon Sarah's bed as her pulse returned to normal.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Jason lay awake, staring at his ceiling. Gabriel had neither denied nor agreed to the nightmare lord's statement. Jason had trouble believing it was true, and denied it over and over again in his mind. However, he could not help wondering if there was more truth in those words than he gave them credit for.  
  
He brushed the thought hastily aside as he sat up. He would go to the hospital and be with Sarah. Whether or not he was this Jareth person, he had to protect her from that evil boy. He got dressed, and was at the door when he thought about Gabriel. He may want to guard Sarah as well. But Jason shook his head and left for the hospital alone.  
  
When he reached it, the nurses turned him away. He did not tell them the story of the mysterious boy that could disappear in a flash of gold light. Instead, he tried to make himself as pitiful and sincere as possible. He was soon sitting in a chair, staring at Sarah's shape under the covers.  
  
He could tell that he was in for a restless night.  
  
Author: Well, that was the chapter. I realize that it was pretty slow and not much happened, and I'm sorry. I'll try to make the next one better, okay? Until then, thank you and Ja Ne! 


	10. Jareth's moment

Disclaimer: Hello, everyone! Are you all having a good summer? Yes? Good! I still don't own Labyrinth, but here is the next chapter anyway. I hope you like it. Thank you for reading this far!  
  
Author: I agree. This chapter might be a tad bit confusing, but I hope it isn't too bad. I would like to thank my faithful reviewers (not saying any names) for putting up with me so far. Now, without further ado, chapter 10 and some frozen pizza! O.~  
  
The nurse poked her head inside the room.  
  
Sarah had not moved at all, and it looked as though the young man visiting her had fallen asleep. She clucked her tongue in disapproval, but did not wake him. The nurse cast one last look around the room before turning off the light and closing the door.  
  
Jareth's eyes flicked open.  
  
He glanced around and made sure that he was alone with Sarah. Then he stood and walked over to her bed. She was still asleep, and Jareth recognized the spell immediately. He cursed Jaelithe and unhooked Sarah from the machine.  
  
He stopped for a moment and rubbed his temples irritably. He could feel Jason trying to regain control. He had a strong feeling that he would not be able to keep his identity for long. And he was not entirely certain he could surface again.  
  
Shaking his fears from his mind, Jareth lifted Sarah up and carried her over to the window. They were on the forth floor, but there was a tree just a few feet away that he could reach. Jareth opened the window and climbed onto the sill, clutching Sarah tightly to him. After a moment's awkward footing, he was able to swing them both into the branches.  
  
When he reached the ground, Jaelithe was waiting. "Where are you going?" the Lord of Nightmares asked. Jareth shrugged casually and shifted Sarah's weight. He started walking away, and Jaelithe's smile fell a little bit, as though he had been expecting something to happen. He caught up to Jareth and walked next to him. "What did you do?" he asked.  
  
Jareth cocked an eyebrow. "I can still do a basic shielding spell, can't I?"  
  
Jaelithe smiled and crossed his arms. "So it would appear," he answered. "but it must be a terrible drain on what little strength you have, yes?" He twirled his dark orbs in his hand as though he were bored, but Jareth could guess at his inward frustrations.  
  
"Try and break it all you like," Jareth told him. "I actually get the power for it from you."  
  
Jaelithe leapt back with a snarl, and the Goblin King snickered wickedly. "What's the matter?" he asked mockingly. "You're a big, strong, healthy little boy and I'm a weak old man. You've got plenty of strength to spare for a noble cause."  
  
"I don't do noble causes!" Jaelithe said indignantly. "You had better not take my power for another spell!" He glared at Jareth angrily, but found it hard to focus on him. The goblin King laughed, and Jaelithe realized that he was in the midst of a teleportation spell.  
  
"If you had told me just a little earlier." Jareth said with phony regret as he drifted away.  
  
The Lord of Nightmares growled and slammed his fist through the air where Jareth had been. But of course, he was long gone. Jaelithe knew that the spell was not powerful enough to transport between worlds, but he was frustrated all the same. And the fact that his own magical powers had done it just added insult to injury.  
  
Cursing the night, Jaelithe hurried to the house, hoping that they had returned there.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Sarah stirred and slowly opened her eyes.  
  
She could tell by the noises around her that they were at a subway station. Under her back were the cool metal strips of a bench, but her head was lying on something softer and much, much warmer.  
  
She sat up, and saw that her head had been resting on Jareth's lap. He was asleep, and she didn't really feel like waking him. She stretched her limbs and looked around. Only a few people were standing on the platform with them, and the large clock told her that it was 5:22 in the morning. There would soon be several more people on the morning commute.  
  
Sarah just had time to notice the tickets next to Jareth on the bench when he joined her quite suddenly in wakefulness. "Sarah?" Jason said groggily. "What are we doing here?"  
  
Sarah rolled her eyes. This dual personality thing was starting to get on her nerves. "We're just going home, Jason," she said gently. She picked up the tickets and marched toward the entrance.  
  
"I know, you know," Jason said.  
  
Sarah turned to face him. "You know?"  
  
"I know."  
  
"So you know."  
  
"Don't you know?"  
  
"No."  
  
Jason slapped a hand to his forehead and tried again. "I know I'm Jareth," he said. He didn't hear Sarah respond, so he looked over to see what she thought.  
  
Sarah just stared at him for several minutes, her eyebrows raised and her mouth slightly open. After a time, she let her face fall back into a normal expression. "Good," she said. "That makes a lot of explaining easy for me. Can you feel Jareth inside of you?"  
  
Now it was Jason's turn to raise eyebrows. "Feel him inside?" he repeated.  
  
"You know. Summon up his consciousness, that sort of thing," Sarah said. "Because Jason, I'm sorry, but now's a good time for Jareth. Could you just slide back in the brain cells there?" Sarah knew that she was asking something very rude, in a very rude way, but she had just spent the last several hours in an enchanted sleep, tormented by nightmares. She watched Jason frown, then shake his head.  
  
"Sorry," he said. "No luck." Sarah almost felt worse for asking by the fact that he complied. She walked over to him and slipped her hand into his. She would never fall in love with Jason, but she cared about him all the same.  
  
"That's okay," she told him. "I've got you." He didn't smile, but Sarah knew that he felt at least a little better. She led him out of the subway and into the open air.  
  
Author: So, yeah. There's my chapter. I hope you liked it. I'm really tired right now. It's about 3:37 in the morning. Anywho, I'll try to update soon, and be warned! The ending is now fully on its way! This curve lasted a good three chapters, but now wqe're back on track! (is we're supposed to have a q in it? I'm sooo sleepy) Have a good time, and until the next chapter, Ja Ne! 


	11. The Beginning of the End

Disclaimer: Well, hi! You came back for the next chapter. You should know by now that I don't own Labyrinth or any of its characters, but I'm writing this so I don't get sued (not that there's anything to take) So, enjoy!  
  
Author: Yes, do that. This chapter will contain part of the climax, and the end is not far off. I would like to thank my faithful reviewers *cough* Darkmaster *cough* Dawn *cough*. And there will be a special bonus! The tenth reader gets a free watermelon as soon as I figure out how to send it through to you. And now, the fic:  
  
"Sarah?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Where are we going?" Jason asked. They had only just left the subway, and Sarah was leading him on confidently down the street.  
  
"We're going home," she told him. "Jaelithe nearly always confronts us at home. Besides, you left Gabriel there, didn't you?" Jason nodded. "Then we can get some more help. Strength in numbers, you know." Sarah knew that Jason was very lost, but maybe it was for the better to keep him that way. She knew that Jason was rational, and would suggest calling the police. Any interference at this point would only be a hindrance.  
  
Jason, however, was thinking quite clearly. He had considered calling the police, but the time for that had been and passed. He knew that Sarah had the best idea of what was going on, and should therefore be in charge. In the meantime, most of Jason's efforts were centered on himself. He searched through his mind and his memory, trying to find a streak of Jareth to call upon. He knew that a lot would depend upon Jareth being there.  
  
They reached the house, but it was suspiciously empty. Sarah hesitantly opened the door and peered inside. The lights were all turned off, and she could hear no sounds. She opened the door a little wider, and the two of them stepped inside.  
  
After searching the house, they realized that it was completely empty of life. "What happened to Gabriel?" Sarah finally asked aloud. Her question echoed unanswered through the house.  
  
Then both of them heard a small sound. They turned and saw an obsidian sphere rolling merrily along. They followed it into the living room, where Jaelithe sat quite comfortably on the sofa. "You really should get this reupholstered," he told them idly. "The seams are coming undone." He smiled at their angry faces. "Well, you were expecting me, after all."  
  
"Where's Gabriel?" Sarah asked.  
  
"I have no idea," Jaelithe said indignantly as he spread his arms in a gesture of helplessness. "I can assure you that I have done nothing to harm him. I would not be surprised if he went off looking for you." He stood and twirled his orb idly between his fingers. "You are becoming far too suspicious if you blame me for things I haven't done yet."  
  
If Sarah noticed his emphasis on the word "yet", she didn't show it. "Well, now you're here," she said. "And you know what we want."  
  
Jaelithe nodded, rubbing his temple as though he had a headache. "Yes, yes," he said in a sing-song voice. "Everyone knows you think I'll take you back to the Labyrinth. Haven't you realized by now that I won't?"  
  
"Why not?" Sarah demanded.  
  
"Because it should have been mine!" he blurted out savagely. Sarah stared at him quizzically, and he regained his composure. "If it weren't for that idiot Goblin King," he said, indicating Jason. "I could have ruled the Labyrinth. But it appeared that circumstances were. disfavorable. But now." He cast a gleefully wicked expression their way. "They seem very, very favorable indeed."  
  
He raised his hand and gave the wrist a sharp flick. A bright pale-green ball of light shot from the center of his palm. Without thinking, Jason tackled Sarah to the ground, the light sailing harmlessly overhead. Harmless, that is, if you aren't the large and now very small mirror directly behind them.  
  
The nightmare lord laughed at them as they stood once more. "My, we're quick on our feet," he said. Two of his black globes were circling him as if in orbit. They moved faster and faster, a golden glow spreading over them with each revolution. Then, they changed direction and rocketed toward the two humans.  
  
Sarah dived out of the way, but Jason didn't know what of them. The next thing he knew, he was hanging in midair, unable to move. Jaelithe snickered at his feeble attempts to reach the ground. "I don't want to kill you yet," he said to the floating boy. "But you can just hang up there for now, alright?"  
  
Jaelithe then turned to Sarah, who crouched on the floor, muscles tense. "I expect you want me to attack you now, eh?" he said. His tone was hatefully calm. "Another mind-bender? Or perhaps something more physical this time. Variety is good, don't you think?"  
  
Sarah glared at him hatefully. "Let Jason down," she growled through clenched teeth. "And send Jareth back." She did not know what to expect from him, but she had the feeling that he would not kill them outright. She would have to use the time he gave her.  
  
Jaelithe shrugged and almost carelessly shot a bolt of green energy into her stomach. It sent her hurling into the street just as Gabriel rounded the corner. He ran over to Sarah as Jaelithe stepped out of the five-foot hole in the wall. "Tell me," the nightmare lord said. "Where is your Jareth now?"  
  
Author: Well, that was my little chapter, and I hope you all liked it. The next part is on the way as you read this, so please don't kill me for sending you a cliff-hanger. Anywho, there you are, and until next time, Ja Ne! 


	12. Oh, hello! Didn't see you there!

Disclaimer: Oy. You don't want to hear about my troubles, so I'll just tell you that I don't own anything and move on. (Author comes up with a cake, but the Disclaimer drags her away so that the nice readers can read!)  
  
Sarah stared up at Jaelithe as Gabriel hovered nervously, not sure what to do. The nightmare lord stood on the threshold of the large hole where Sarah had come blasting through the wall. He almost casually observed them as Sarah staggered to her feet.  
  
"I wonder," Jaelithe said aloud. "Whether or not you'll leave me alone after this encounter." His tone was mocking once more, and it annoyed Sarah to no end that he was so goddamn calm!  
  
"We won't let you be until Jareth is back in the Labyrinth!" Sarah said hotly. She clutched her abdomen with one hand, defeating her otherwise determined pose. Jaelithe arched an eyebrow at her.  
  
"Then you will be bothering me for quite some time," he said. "I have no intention of allowing my bitter enemy back into his realm."  
  
"Without Jareth, the Labyrinth will die!" Sarah shouted in frustration. "Why do you want that?!"  
  
"The Labyrinth will not die!" Jaelithe said sharply. "I have the power to rebuild it if I am its rightful ruler! While Jareth exists, yes, it will die. But if you step aside and let me claim leadership, there will be no problems!"  
  
"Yes, there will!" Sarah shouted. "Jareth is the only rightful ruler of the Labyrinth! You will never take his place!" She was stalling for time now, hoping that Gabriel would wise up and go save Jason. She had to keep the nightmare lord distracted for as long as she could, hoping that something would happen.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Jason sat indignantly where he was suspended in the air. What was that Jaelithe planning to do with him? He gave up waiting for something to happen, and was now trying to think of something he could do. So far, he had come up with a grand total of nothing.  
  
No, he thought. I can't help Sarah. Sarah doesn't need me. What she needs now is Jareth.  
  
But how could he get Jareth?  
  
Jason thought about what he knew about Jareth. "Okay," he said. "I'm some kind of Goblin King, and I rule over a place called the Labyrinth." He searched through his memory, trying to confirm the statement. But all of his memories were normal and human.  
  
He knew nothing about Labyrinths or Goblin Kings. He knew nothing about Jareth at all. All he knew about Jareth was that he had to save Sarah. That was it. Jareth had to save Sarah.  
  
It came subtly at first. First he knew why he had to save Sarah, then how he knew Sarah, then more and more things fell into place. Before he realized it, Jareth was releasing the spell that had bound him.  
  
"Well," said Jareth. "Nice of you to call."  
  
* * * * *  
  
Jaelithe glanced over his shoulder. "Wha--?!"  
  
He was blown out into the street as the hole enlarged itself. The nightmare lord skidded to a halt less than a foot away from where Sarah and Gabriel stood. Gabriel followed his instincts and without ceremony sat down on his back. Sarah grinned up at Jareth as he stepped carefully over the wreckage that had been their wall.  
  
"Jaelithe! You forgot to tend to your prisoner!" Jareth said in an annoying sing-song voice. Jaelithe struggled from beneath Gabriel, who was apparently not in his favorite of places.  
  
"Get off of me you damn human!" the nightmare lord yelled. One of those black orbs came hurtling toward Gabriel, who yelped in surprise and jumped off of Jaelithe without thinking. "That was quite undignified," Jaelithe said, his eyes glinting maliciously.  
  
"Oh, I thought it was very becoming," Jareth said mildly. He had joined Sarah in the street and was now supporting her as her midsection rapidly healed.  
  
"I thought you'd never come," Sarah told him.  
  
"Well, it took a little while," Jareth said. "But now I'm here. So, Jaelithe, going to reconsider that offer? Or will I have to fight you for it?" Jaelithe straightened and glared angrily at his three attackers.  
  
"You don't have the strength to defeat me," Jaelithe said. "Your crystals are gone, you get amnesia at the most convenient times, and you can't even transport yourself back to the Labyrinth without me. What hope have you got?"  
  
"Enough," Jareth replied.  
  
Author: well, that's it for now, kiddies! I'll update as soon as possible, but times are so busy! Until next time, Ja Ne! 


	13. Far From Real

Disclaimer: So sorrry I took so long! I really didn't mean to, I've had the craziest summer, my cousin is getting married, my friend is getting a new niece, argh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!!!!!!!!!  
  
Jaelithe drew himself up to his full, if not very impressive, height. "Very well," he said to Jareth. "I doubt you can remember who you are that long. And the next time Jason surfaces, I doubt you'll return. Then I can finish you off properly, without all of this counter spell nonsense. Are you ready?"  
  
Jareth was not ready, but he was not going to admit something like that either. He drew into a defensive stance, placing himself between his friends and his adversary. Jaelithe regained his sarcastic smile and matched him. The two faced each other for a few seconds, then the nightmare lord leaped!  
  
Sarah's eyes were near blinded when the titans clashed. Brilliant green lightening rammed into the neon blue of the shield. Bolts of fire raged into glistening daggers of ice. Arrows and javelins of light ripped through the air all around them. "This is insane!" Sarah yelled as she ran to a safer location. "One of them will have to die for the battle to end!"  
  
"Jareth will lose," Gabriel said.  
  
Sarah stared at him, her mouth a pursed line across her face, parallel to her knitted brows. Gabriel hastened to explain. "In his already weakened state, he seems completely unable to rightly defend himself against an attack as forceful as Jaelithe's. There's no way he can win against the odds."  
  
Sarah glared at him, at a loss for words in her fury. "You wait," she shouted. "He'll win. He has to!"  
  
Jareth couldn't hear what Sarah said. He was, after all, in the midst of battle. He desperately wished that he could call upon his powers in the Labyrinth. That thought led him to think that he must, at all costs, win this battle and protect his realm. And, he realized, protect Sarah.  
  
He could see her face in his mind's eye, calling for him to help her. He felt a surge of emotion course through him, his heart starting to beat faster. He could feel himself slipping away, his control over his body fading...  
  
No! he cried silently as he slipped out of consciousness.  
  
Jason's eyes widened as the black bolt of energy hit him squarely in the chest. He convulsed violently as he was thrown backward, skidding over the asphalt and hearing a sickening crack as his arm snapped in half. He heard somebody scream as he looked up to see Jaelithe coming toward him, a malicious sneer on his face.  
  
"Amazing," he said. "How delightfully unpredictable your memory is." He was standing right before Jason now, a faint green glow in his left hand. There was a cut on his forehead, and blood covered his left eye, but his right glittered with triumph.  
  
"As I said before," Jaelithe continued. "You are so obse-"  
  
Before he could finish his sentence, the wind was knocked out of him as he collapsed with a lapful of Sarah. The girl was kicking, clawing, biting, trying to do as much damage as she could. The unexpected attack caused Jaelithe to stay pinned for several minutes while he was pounded by Sarah's fear, anger, and desperation.  
  
Eventually, though, he got his bearings and managed to shove her off and pin her down. No sooner had he done this when he was attacked from behind by none other than Gabriel. Thoroughly annoyed now, he threw the boy from him and angrily snarled out a shield spell. He looked up to see that Gabriel, who had been charging him again, was halfway trapped inside the shield, while the rest of him was still outside.  
  
This time, the nightmare lord wasted no time with arrogant speeches and triumphant sneers. He knew that this particular shield would serve as an excellent conductor for his needs. Focusing his energy, he sent an experimental shock wave through the shield. Satisfied by his prisoner's screech of surprise and pain, he continued to feed violent energy between them, gleefully reveling in each scream.  
  
Sarah didn't know what to do. Jason had blacked out, and losing a serious amount of blood. Gabriel was trapped, seemingly screaming his head off from inside the shield, and there was no way for her to get him out. She wished she could do something, anything, rather than stand there, useless between them as she was now.  
  
Suddenly, it seemed as though her mind was being opened, as one opens a paperback novel. "Sarah!" Jareth's voice echoed through her brain. "Sarah! You have to listen to me!"  
  
"I hear you!" she screamed, trying to cling to his already fading voice.  
  
"Sarah, this is a nightmare lord. You know that when you are asleep, if you realize it is a nightmare, you can manipulate that nightmare. You have to realize that this isn't real!"  
  
Sarah's eyes widened. "What?!" she shrieked.  
  
"None of this is real! I'm not lying there unconscious in a human body, I'm fine, I'm here in the Labyrinth! Jaelithe has been tricking you all this time with a nightmare! None of it is real!"  
  
She could feel him fading, feel the novel close. "Wait, Jareth!" she cried.  
  
"None of this is real."  
  
Sarah looked frantically around her. There was Jason, unconscious, probably dying, and there was Jaelithe, gleefully torturing Gabriel, who was trapped in that hellish conductor. It's not real! She screamed it to herself. Oh, God! It's not real!  
  
She blotted all of the pictures out of her mind, all of her thoughts out of her mind, all of her fear out of her mind. "It's not real!" she screamed. "It's...not...REAL!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
* * * * *  
  
Jareth looked up. "She's awake," he said simply.  
  
Jaelithe sighed. "Yes, she is," he said. "You shouldn't have interfered like that. I thought we'd just finished making rules for this game."  
  
Jareth took the crystal sphere and twirled it idly in his palm. "You've broken rules yourself, you know," he said. "Besides, I've grown quite fond of young Sarah. She is a remarkable young woman, you know."  
  
Jaelithe snatched the crystal out of his hand. "Yes, I know!" he said. "You're so soft, Jareth! Going out and loving people all the time!" He stood up and stomped over to the door. "I'm not giving her any nightmares again. If you love her so much, you can give her good dreams every night for all I care!"  
  
Jareth stood. "Are you so jealous of me because you could never learn to love?" he asked bluntly. Jaelithe paused in mid-step and rotated to face him.  
  
"You know," he said icily. "That I haven't the heart." He threw the crystal at Jareth angrily. "Love is just a lie!"  
  
He turned and stormed out, leaving the dream lord alone with his thoughts. Jareth turned back to the sphere and saw the image of Sarah, blinking the sleep from her eyes as the sun played games on her hair.  
  
"Perhaps," he said softly. "But for me-and Sarah-it is all too real." 


End file.
